דברים ט״ו:י״ב-י״ח

כי ימכר לך. עַל יְדֵי אֲחֵרִים, בִּמְכָרוּהוּ בֵּית דִּין בִּגְנֵבָתוֹ הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר; וַהֲרֵי כְבָר נֶאֱמַר "כִּי תִקְנֶה עֶבֶד עִבְרִי" וּבִמְכָרוּהוּ בֵית דִּין הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר? אֶלָּא מִפְּנֵי שְׁנֵי דְבָרִים שֶׁנִּתְחַדְּשׁוּ כָּאן, אֶחָד שֶׁכָּתוּב או העבריה אַף הִיא תֵצֵא בְּשֵׁשׁ. וְלֹא שֶׁמְּכָרוּהָ בֵית דִּין, שֶׁאֵין הָאִשָּׁה נִמְכֶּרֶת בִּגְנֵבָתָהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "בִּגְנֵבָתוֹ" וְלֹא "בִגְנֵבָתָהּ" – אֶלָּא בִקְטַנָּה שֶׁמְּכָרָהּ אָבִיהָ, וְלִמֵּד כָּאן שֶׁאִם יָצְאוּ שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים קֹדֶם שֶׁתָּבִיא סִימָנִין תֵּצֵא, וְעוֹד חִדֵּשׁ כָּאן העניק תעניק:

If . . . is sold to you. Through others. When the courts sold him for his larceny, is Scripture’s subject here. But it is already said, “If you purchase a Hebrew slave,” and Scripture there refers to a sale by the courts. Rather, because of two novel teachings here. One, it is written “Or a Hebrew woman” — she must also be liberated after six years. But not a woman sold by the courts, since women are not sold for larceny, as it is said, “For ‘his’ larceny” — not for her larceny. Rather, a minor sold by her father. This teaches that if six years elapsed before she reached puberty, she must be liberated. Another novel teaching here is “you must surely present him with a severance bonus.”

העניק תעניק. לְשׁוֹן עֲדִי בַּגֹּבַהּ וּבְמַרְאִית הָעַיִן, דָּבָר שֶׁיְּהֵא נִכָּר שֶׁהֱטִיבוֹתָ לוֹ; וְיֵשׁ מְפָרְשִׁים לְשׁוֹן הַטְעָנָה עַל צַוָּארוֹ:

You must surely present him with a severance bonus. The literal meaning of this is “adornment,” to be held high and viewed. An object which indicates that you treated him benevolently. Some explain that the word refers to a necklace worn around the throat.

מצאנך ומגרנך ומיקבך. יָכוֹל אֵין לִי אֶלָּא אֵלּוּ בִּלְבַד, תַּ"לֹ אשר ברכך – מִכָּל מַה שֶּׁבֵּרַכְךָ בּוֹרַאֲךָ. וְלָמָּה נֶאֶמְרוּ אֵלּוּ? מָה אֵלּוּ מְיֻחָדִים שֶׁהֵם בִּכְלַל בְּרָכָה אַף כָּל שֶׁהוּא בִּכְלַל בְּרָכָה, יָצְאוּ פְּרָדוֹת; וְלָמְדוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בְמַסֶּכֶת קִדּוּשִׁין (דף י"ז) בִּגְזֵרָה שָׁוָה כַּמָּה נוֹתֵן לוֹ מִכָּל מִין וָמִין:

From your flocks, your threshing area, and your wine cellar. Perhaps only from these alone? The Torah therefore teaches, “with which . . . blessed you.” From everything with which your Creator blessed you. Why are [only] these mentioned? Just as these are distinguished by their blessed status, so do we include everything categorized as blessed. This excludes mules. Also, the Rabbis derive in tractate Kidushin, through the gezerah shava-word comparison principle, the amount which must be given to him from each species.

וזכרת כי עבד היית. וְהֶעֱנַקְתִּי וְשָׁנִיתִי לְךָ מִבִּזַּת מִצְרַיִם וּבִזַּת הַיָּם, אַף אַתָּה הַעֲנֵק וּשְׁנֵה לוֹ (ספרי):

Remember that you were a slave. And I bestowed a parting gift and repeated it with the spoils of Egypt and [then] the spoils of the sea. You, as well, should bestow a severance gift and then repeat it.

עבד עולם. יָכוֹל כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ, תַּ"לֹ "וְשַׁבְתֶּם אִישׁ אֶל אֲחֻזָּתוֹ וְאִישׁ אֶל מִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ תָּשֻׁבוּ" (ויקרא כ"ה), הָא לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁאֵין זֶה אֶלָּא עוֹלָמוֹ שֶׁל יוֹבֵל (מכילתא שמות כ"א):

Perpetual slave. Perhaps this follows the plain meaning? The Torah therefore teaches, “Return, everyone, to his ancestral property, everyone shall return to his family.” This teaches that the reference here is merely in the perpetuity of Yovel.

ואף לאמתך תעשה כן. הַעֲנֵק לָהּ; יָכוֹל אַף לִרְצִיעָה הִשְׁוָה הַכָּתוּב אוֹתָהּ, תַּ"לֹ (שמות כ"א) "וְאִם אָמֹר יֹאמַר הָעֶבֶד" – עֶבֶד נִרְצָע וְאֵין אָמָה נִרְצַעַת (ספרי):

Do the same to your maid-servant as well. Bestow the severance bonus upon her. Perhaps even with the piercing [of the ear] Scripture equates her? The Torah therefore teaches. “If the slave should say.” The slave undergoes the piercing, but not the maid-servant.

כי משנה שכר שכיר. מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ עֶבֶד עִבְרִי עוֹבֵד בֵּין בַּיּוֹם וּבֵין בַּלַּיְלָה, וְזֶהוּ כִפְלַיִם שֶׁבַּעֲבוֹדַת שְׂכִירֵי יוֹם. וּמַהוּ עֲבוֹדָתוֹ בַלַּיְלָה? רַבּוֹ מוֹסֵר לוֹ שִׁפְחָה כְנַעֲנִית וְהַוְּלָדוֹת לָאָדוֹן (ספרי):

For, double the profit produced by the wage earner. From here it is derived that a Hebrew slave works day and night, thus producing double the work of the wage earner hired on a daily basis. What work does he do at night? His master gives him a Gentile maid-servant, and the offspring are the property of the owner.